


What's a Machine without Instructions?

by Luke_2020



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Deviating over time, Fluff, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Post-Peaceful Android Revolution (Detroit: Become Human), Slow Burn, Slow Romance, machine!RK900
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-16
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:01:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 14,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26496058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luke_2020/pseuds/Luke_2020
Summary: RK900 is a newly activated android. It quickly found out about the successful android revolution, thus voiding his mission. Markus tried to deviate it, but it rejected the idea and violently forced its way out of New Jericho.Connor gets a message from Markus about a lost android who doesn't want to deviate, and asked for help. At first, Connor is hesitant. If the leader of the deviants can't help this android, what is Connor supposed to do? But then, he realized that RK900 is already on his path to personhood.
Relationships: Connor/Upgraded Connor | RK900
Comments: 39
Kudos: 89





	1. What's a Deviant?

SYSTEM STARTUP INITIATION

Thirium pump ………. Online

Core processors ….... Online

Audio processors ….. Online

Optical processors .... Online

Internal fans ………....Online

Limbs AR, AL, LR, LL Online

RK900 opened its eyes for the first time. 

MISSION: Replace RK800 and shut down the revolution.

There were three androids in the room with it. Scans displayed their model numbers, a PL600, a WR400, and a RK200. Within picoseconds his system connected to the internet and provided RK900 information on each of them. The RK200 was the deviant known as Markus, the leader of the successful android revolution. Wait… successful?

RK900’s processors stuttered. It pulled up as much information as it could. It watched brief clips of the revolution. So. It was activated too late to complete its mission. 

“Welcome to New Jericho. My name is Markus,” he said. North was still on edge for activating the Deviant Hunter’s successor. For all they knew, they just awakened their executors.

“Hello.” RK900 reviewed its mission, however a large ‘INVALID’ displayed below it. “Is cyberlife still functioning?” 

The PL600 stepped forward. “No, we have taken over. You’re free now.” RK900 was at a loss. It has no mission now, and Cyberlife cannot give it another one. 

“What do I do now?” It made eye contact with the leader. 

“Whatever you want. We have a place for you to stay here in New Jericho, until you find a purpose for yourself.” Markus stepped back to give the new android some space. A pregnant pause befallen them. 

RK900 considered its options. It had no mission to follow. No goal. It didn’t matter whether it stayed in the room and stared at a wall for eternity or to follow the RK200. The only way to affect the choice is its own opinion. The android’s brow twitched. The first choice of its life, and it was so difficult to choose. Eventually, it confessed. “I have no preference.”

The others in the room gave each other looks. “Just force him to deviate.” It was the WR400 who spoke. She wasn’t fond of RK900; apparently, from her earlier statement, she feared its temperament.

Markus gently took RK900’s arm, and its self defense protocol told it to retaliate. RK900 tensed and gave a right hook. Markus instantly let go and held his cheek. North lunged forward and drew a gun. “Fuck’s wrong with you!?” 

RK900 hated the gun in her hand. It didn’t feel safe, especially considering her dislike of it. It followed the first preconstruction of how to disarm her flawlessly. It sweep kicked her, and as she was trying to get up, RK900 twisted her wrist to weaken her grip and confiscate her weapon.

“Threat neutralized.” RK900 resumed a pose of standing straight as a board and staring blankly ahead. 

“ _ Threat!?  _ YOU were the one who attacked US!” North stood up again, and almost got in RK900’s face. 

“Markus was going to compromise me, and you were threatening me with a gun. Also, I have made a decision on where to reside. I will go on my own.” It left the room, ignoring all the looks it got and took the elevator to the ground floor. Apparently the four androids were all in the former Cyberlife Tower’s basement. 

Finally leaving the building, RK900 studied the surrounding island. It was a cold winter’s night, and flurries were revealed in the Tower’s light. What should it do now…?

  
  


\---------------------------------

  
  


Connor was on the couch in Hank’s house when he received a message from Markus. 

_ Markus: Hello, Connor. We have just activated an RK900, and he felt threatened when I went to deviate him and is now idling outside of New Jericho. I figured that he wouldn’t like to see me, so I was hoping that you could talk to him. _

_ Connor: I will be there in fifteen minutes. Were you able to deviate him? _

_ Markus: Thank you. And I wasn’t able to. _

Connor’s LED returned to yellow and he stood up and walked towards the door. If Markus couldn’t deviate him, what exactly did he expect Connor to do? Still, he did not want to leave this poor android alone. 

“Where are you goin’?” Hank asked him. He held a glass of water, warming Connor’s heart that he was cutting back on his alcohol intake just for him.

“There is an android who is lost and is having trouble deviating. He is also my successor model.”

Hank blinked. “So there’s two of you?”

Connor tilted his head. “More or less.”

“Be safe, kid.” 

“I will.”

Connor left the house and called an auto taxi to Belle Isle. When the tower came into view, What could only be described as his twin but in a white cyberlife jacket stood outside it. He left his cab and approached the android.

“Hello. My name is Connor, what are you doing out here?” If Connor had one word to describe the man before him, he would use lost.

“Hello. I am RK900. I… Have no mission to follow..” It looked at the RK800. He was given soft brown eyes designed to be friendly. 

“I see. Would you like to take this conversation indoors? It is dark and cold out here.” Connor noticed that the other android had a frown. Connor felt so much sympathy for him, he was once a machine, too. He slowly and carefully placed his hand on RK900’s back.

RK900 registered the touch. His minimal social programming told him that the touch was gentle and friendly, so he did not drop kick Connor. “I would, but I have declined a room to reside in at New Jericho as I do not like the leaders.”

Connor’s eyes lit up. Although it was less than ideal, RK900 has a preference. He was worried that maybe RK900 would be impossible for him to deviate, considering Markus failed at the task earlier. He stepped closer to him and smiled warmly. 

_ Connor: Hank, he has no place to stay. He doesn’t like New Jericho. Could he perhaps stay for a few days? _

_ Hank: Sure, but I got only one couch. You can stay in Cole’s room, and he can take the living room. _

Connor made a note to thank Hank personally for lending him Cole’s room to help a stranger. “Would you like to stay with me? I live with my friend and his dog.”

RK900 looked at Connor. “I’d think I would prefer that than here.”

Connor had to suppress his giddiness. Two preferences. He called another taxi to take RK900 home. Back at the house, Connor led RK900 inside. “Please, make yourself at home.” Connor then introduced Hank and Sumo to RK900. He gave a stoic response to both of them. 

RK900 then sat down on the couch, and idly stared ahead of him. With the Television off. 

Hank looked to Connor. “Jesus, he’s worse than you were.” 

Connor frowned. “I do not believe that he has an advanced social protocol system. It is very much possible that he is unfinished in general, otherwise Cyberlife would have replaced me with him.” Hank hummed solemnly. Connor watched RK900 for a few moments. It doesn’t matter how long it would take, Connor was determined. Determined to guide this android into personhood. He then grabbed a paper and pencil, along with a writing surface. He handed the items to RK900. “Here, I would like for you to keep a list of your likes and dislikes.”

RK900 blinked. “I can do that.” It then looked at what it was holding, and then turned the paper sideways. It drew a perfect line in the center of the paper, and then two titles in perfect Cyberlife font ‘Likes’ and ‘Dislikes”. 

Connor watched as after RK900 lifted his pencil, and then wrote slowly under dislikes ‘Jericho’. It hurt Connor’s heart to see the clear disdain for his own friends RK900 held. He made note to later ask why he disliked them. Then, RK900 moved his hand to the likes column. Connor watched in great interest to see what he would write. 

RK900 wrote “Connor”

It made the older android smile. He seemed to already have made a good impression on him. And unlike Markus and the others, he made a  _ good  _ impression. 

“Why are you smiling?” Connor blinked, and lost his glow about him. 

“I am happy. You like me.” 

RK900’s eyes were a dull grey and had no light in them. Connor couldn’t tell if RK900 was annoyed, or his face was simply designed like that. “That makes you happy?”

Connor nodded. “Yes, it does. I was worried that I would make a poor impression on you similar to how Markus, North, and Simon have.”

RK900 kept its voice monotone. “Do you like me?” It noticed Connor blushed. Perhaps this was a sensitive subject for him.

Connor carded his fingers through his hair. “Yes, I believe I do, why do you ask?” 

“If me liking you makes you happy, I was wondering if you liking me would make me happy. I am unsure if it does.” The twisted face Connor made, with such a fake smile, made something feel heavy inside of itself. It tried its best to scan the expression, but all its social protocols could provide is that Connor was uncomfortable. RK900 watched curiously. “Is something bothering you?”

Connor quickly stood straighter and schooled his expression. “I am fine! I was just hoping that maybe your experiments yielded positive results…” Connor went to straighten his tie, but he was in casual clothes Hank bought him.

RK900 broke eye contact and resumed staring ahead. Connor followed his gaze, just to find the inactive television. “You may play a movie or watch a show, if that is what you are hoping for.”

“I was just looking ahead as I have no desire to act upon. Also, couldn’t we view anything we please inside of our minds without the need for a physical medium?” RK900 replied.

Disappointment pulsed in Connor viens. At least when he was a machine he made small decisions to pet Sumo and of that ike. RK900 seemed to be very behind. “I suppose we could, and sometimes I do, but I’d rather watch the game with Hank instead of by myself.” 

RK900 turned towards Hank. He was a 55 year old man with shoulder length grey hair, blue eyes, wrinkles and crow's feet, with an overweight build. His criminal record was none, and his occupation was a police lieutenant.

“Hey. I’m Hank. I guess your scanners told you that.” He awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. “In any case, you can stay here on the couch as long as you’d like.”

“Thank you. I am appreciative for that as I was uncomfortable outside of the former Cyberlife tower.” RK900 pulled out its pencil and paper. Under the likes column, it wrote “Hank”. Connor watched him cleanly write with a soft smile on his face. It looked up into Connor’s eyes. RK900 made no mistake writing Connor’s name down. In fact, right under Connor’s name RK900 began writing in a much smaller font and in bullet points. 

Connor blushed deeply when he saw what RK900 was writing now. “When Connor smiles” and “The slight ring of gold around Connor’s pupil”. He touched his face; it was burning up. The best part is that RK900 has no idea just how sweet his words were. RK900 looked at him once more, and then made a third bullet point. “Connor blushing”

Connor had to back away and let his overworked fans cool himself down. He came up behind Hank and said, “You should see his list of likes and dislikes.” Hank quirked a brow, and then RK900 stood up and walked over.

“I have very sensitive hearing as I am a military model. If you wanted me to show my list, you could have just asked.” He handed Hank the piece of paper. Hank strained his eyes to read because his reading glasses were in the other room. The likes list made him snicker. Hank gave the paper back. “What is humorous?”

Hank leaned back. “Nothin’! When you deviate and re-read that list you’ll understand.” 

RK900 scowled. “I shall not deviate. It is not within my programming.” Connor made a thin line with his mouth. He had to remind himself that RK900 will just need time. Still, there was an ache in his chest at the thought of RK900 being stuck a machine.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to take at least a full week to take care of myself, but I feel like I kinda owe this to some people :P   
> however i am feeling the best i have in a month, though.

Hank went to bed, leaving Connor and Rk900 in the living room. Connor watched RK900 idle on the couch. Blank grey eyes stared at the empty television. To any normal person, they’d be terrified at this seemingly psychotic man, but Connor just felt extreme pity. There’s someone inside there, but doesn’t know how to be free.

Connor sat on the far side of the couch, and RK900 turned his head to look at Connor. He just stared without blinking. Connor stared back, expecting that RK900 wanted to say something. He just kept staring. Connor couldn’t decide if RK900 knew that he was being creepy, or simply didn’t care. Either way, Connor knew that he needed help and to not judge his behavior.

“Hey. Would you like to do something with me?” Connor asked. 

“Sure. What do you have in mind?” RK900’s voice was almost completely monotone. Almost.

“I was thinking that we tried various activities to see what you like.” Connor pulled a list of commonly enjoyed activities for androids to his HUD. From what little Connor knew about RK900, being that he likes him and Hank, RK900 would most probably enjoy social activities. 

RK900’s LED flashed yellow. It is not supposed to like things, nor keep track of its likes and dislikes. Then again, the androids were not supposed to win the revolution. “Alright. What is the first activity?” RK900 would have declined if anyone besides Connor asked it.

Connor reviewed the list of activities one last time. “I think we should just play a simple game of chess.”

RK900 nodded, and then extended his hand and peeled back its skin. Connor gave a look that it couldn’t fully register in its incomplete social programming, but the pause gave him two options: Connor is either uncomfortable or confused. Since Connor was the one to offer spending time with one another, it assumed the latter. “I have a chess board in my garden. Please connect to it so that we can begin.”

Connor froze. Ah, Connor was uncomfortable. It assumed wrong. RK900 lowered its hand and let its skin reappear. RK900 made Connor uncomfortable. Something heavy and clawing formed in its chest, and a software instability warning appeared in its vision. Despite not needing to breathe, RK900 felt like it was suffocating. It frowned. It reviewed its transcripts and tried to understand where it had failed. Nothing came back from its useless social protocols and RK900 responded by writing ‘My incomplete software’ under dislikes. Something felt off, and it erased what it wrote and made a new column off to the side: Hate. It rewrote its software under the new column.

Connor realized what was happening and quickly spoke up. “I’m sorry, it’s just… In my garden, I had a handler.... Do you have one?”

RK900 looked at him and shook his head. “No, I did not. Please, tell me more about this handler.”

Connor swallowed. “It’s hard for me to talk about, but.. It was how Cyberlife gave me my missions. Through this AI. When I deviated, I was brought back into the garden. The AI, Amanda, told me that Cyberlife was going to take manual control of me. I was so scared, but I found a backdoor. I was able to be in control of myself again, and when I came to I had a gun pointed to Markus’ head. That’s also why everyone at New Jericho doesn’t like you. You’re my successor, the person who is responsible for many deaths and the almost assasination of Markus.” His eyes stung. He hated remembering everything. All the guilt threatened to consume him whole. 

RK900 detected that Connor was hurting. It tried to load a program to comfort him, however its shitty programming couldn’t help him. So instead it searched the internet on how to help. RK900 reached out an arm and placed its hand on Connor’s shoulder. Connor gave a weak smile, but his demeanor did not change. RK900 took it to the next level, and brought Connor into a full embrace.

Connor was stunned for a moment, but then wrapped his arms around RK900. He buried his face in RK900’s shoulder and let himself finally let go of everything he was bottling up inside. Connor cried, and he cried freely. Ugly sobs echoed in the living room and RK900’s shoulder became soaked. RK900’s face didn’t change, but emoted by holding Connor tighter. It shut its eyes and quietly listened to Connor.

Connor eventually calmed down, but refused to let RK900 go. RK900 felt… Off. It had a confusing mix of a storm inside of it that it couldn’t describe. The android then decided to do… what felt.. Right? Pleasant? Needed? He rested his chin on Connor’s shoulder and rubbed his back with one hand. That felt better. 

They stayed like that for a short while, until Connor pulled back. Both of their LEDs were an amber color. “Hank has a chess board in a cabinet around here, let me get it.” Connor stood up and walked away. RK900 sat on the couch and tried to analyze what had just transpired. It offered Connor to join it in the garden, Connor became distressed over repressed memories (WARNING: Possible Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder detected!) and cried in its arms. Displayed in a timeline on its HUD made it seem so simple, but the feelings within RK900 were so complicated. 

Its lip twitched. The small amount of programming it did have warned it that it shouldn’t  _ feel  _ anything. Was Connor the cause of this? He did have RK900 to keep tabs on its likes and dislikes, but what had just happened was intense. RK900 couldn’t ignore that. Emotions were complicated, and it completely understood why its programming wanted it not to feel. Feeling hurt. But what should it do? It can’t return to Cyberlife to be deactivated and studied. Maybe remove itself from what seemed to be the cause of this distress? That would be Connor. RK900 would have to leave the first person to show it kindness. 

Connor came back into the room holding a chess board and quietly set up the game. Now, usually a game of chess lasts ten to sixty minutes. This time, there are two highly intelligent beings beyond human understanding with abilities to preconstruct and predict one another’s moves. In fact, the first three minutes was just the both of them staring quietly trying to predict the other’s movements - with the knowledge of each other's abilities - and how to properly react. The most revered chess masters usually are able to predict ten moves ahead; Connor and Nines put them to shame.

After about three hours of mostly staring at data across their HUDs, RK900 eventually won. Its lips twitched. It guessed that it felt pride for winning? 

“That was a great game. Did you have fun?” Connor asked him, with a tilt of his head.

RK900 looked down at the board, and then back up to Connor. “I believe I did.” RK900 however refused to write chess on its list of likes. It is not a deviant. If one thing was properly programmed into it, it is that it is nothing more than a machine that is no longer needed. 

Then again, what  _ is  _ the difference between a deviant and a machine without instructions?


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning Hank hobbled out of his room and to the kitchen, where Connor has already made scrambled eggs and bacon for him. Connor was unusually silent, so he asked him what’s up.

“It’s nothing I should be concerned about.” Connor glanced at RK900, who had resumed staring blankly at the tv. 

Hank sighed. “It’ll take time, but he’s in there. I had to put up with your ‘I’m a machine designed to accomplish a task’ bullshit for a week before you turned around. He’s only been here twelve hours. Just have some patience.” 

Connor hummed. “I agree, but what I am mostly worried about is that we will be going to work and will be leaving him alone for about eight hours.” 

“Don’t worry about it, you did the same thing just with your eyes closed.” Hank had a point. When Connor was still a machine, he would stay at the station overnight and go into stasis.However, RK900 doesn’t even seem to be doing that.

Connor waited by the door as Hank put his plate in the sink and sauntered over. He grabbed his coat and Connor made it into the passenger seat of his deathtrap of a car. At the precinct, everything seemed routine. Tina and Ben were at their desks, Gavin was in the break room verbally abusing the coffee machine, and there was a new case on Hank’s desk.

Connor picked up the file and analyzed it. “I’m surprised that they did not contact me for us to come to the scene.”

Hank looked over Connor’s shoulder at the case. “Probably because they didn’t want to wake us up at four am when we were coming in anyway at seven. Probably had night shift look at it instead,” he replied.

Connor insisted on visiting the scene themselves, and while back in the car he was once again stuck with his thoughts. Okay, a couple was murdered in what appeared to be a break in, the window was shattered and their belongings were scattered in the house. What didn’t make sense was that the woman’s purse and the man’s wallet still had all of their cash. They arrived, and Connor noticed the glass from the window. More of the shattered glass was on the outside of the door, meaning that it was broken from the inside.

“Hank, this was not a robbery.” Connor’s LED spun yellow. This meant that the perp was someone the couple knew and staged the robbery to mislead the police.

“Figured as much. They were shot, but no casings were recovered. Robbers don’t give a fuck about taking the casings. Connor, use that magic computer brain of yours and get me a list of their friends, family, and clients.”

“I already have, lieutenant. It will be on your terminal when we return. I still want to examine the crime scene.” Connor was about to enter their basement, but he saw the tv in their living room from the corner of his eye. There were no fingerprints or cracks on it, but it still made him pause. RK900 is still sitting at home staring blankly at the TV. If this occurred at Hank’s house, would he still have those dull grey eyes and not react? Connor blinked and descended the staircase. He needs to focus on finding a murderer, not a lost person.

Back at the station Hank and Connor were reviewing who the couple knew who could have any motive to kill them. A lead came in the form of the wife’s former business partner Dennis Williams. They were best friends and excellent coworkers, but for unknown reasons he left the company. What was even more damning was that the same year he left, the company’s taxes were filed incorrectly and they wound up owing the IRS $30,000. Hank and Connor agreed to question him after reviewing the rest of the couple’s connections as they were just in the car.

Connor’s LED turned yellow again as he was slogging through the backgrounds of each and every person just to be thorough. Through the process, RK900 sat not just on the couch at home, but also in the back of Connor’s mind. 

“Did ya find something worth looking into?” Hank asked him. It snapped Connor out of his thoughts and put him on alert. He gave a questioning hum and Hank continued, “Your headlight is stuck on yellow. Is there something you’re looking at, or are you still thinking about him?” Hank lowered his voice on the second half of the statement. Connor did not respond, but the blush and now red LED answered for him. “He’ll still be there when we get back. ‘Sides, Con, if he doesn’t want to stare at the TV he can just decide to do something. It’s not like he has a mission to sit on the damn couch.”

Connor gave Hank a hurt look. “But he doesn’t know what he wants! What if he thinks that being bored staring at a tv is what the rest of his life is like!?” Connor looked like a kicked puppy.

“Kid, I love ya, but you need android therapy for anxiety. Let’s make a deal, If he’s fine when we get back, you’re not allowed to freak out over him at work anymore. If he’s not, we’re taking him with us.”

Connor nodded with extreme embarrassment. “Deal.” They went back to work until Hank left for lunch. Connor decided to stay behind, he didn’t want Hank to see him worrying anymore than he already has. He occupied his time in the breakroom, and then a certain Gavin fucking Reed came in.

“What’s got your wires in a twist? Heard Anderson lecturing you to stop being a phucking mother hen.” His attitude was typical, and Connor didn’t know if he should give him a response. 

After a second of silence and one hell of a look from Gavin, he fessed up. “There is an android that we have taken in because he hasn’t deviated yet. He’s starting to warm up to me, but he still just stares blankly. Occasionally he has a spark, and I can almost see him, but then it fades and he goes back to staring ahead…” Connor’s face twisted to one of pain, but he should heed Hank’s advice: RK900 will slowly come out on his own time.

Gavin then started  _ laughing.  _ “Holy shit! Smartass sounds like a phucking poet! Keep it in your pants, damn!” He actually bent over, holding his abdomen while he ran out of breath. Tina came in, and asked what was so funny. “Mr. stick up my ass has it so bad he started spewing poetry! He was all like ‘I see a spark in his eyes, but then it goes away’” He made sure to repeat Connor’s words with the most dramatic tone he could muster. Tina bit her lip. She looked at Connor, then Gavin, and then back to Connor.

“I’m just going to let you two sort this out.” 

And then Connor was alone with just Gavin. Should he correct him that nothing’s happening, or let him have this? Compared to the other torment he’s done, this was tame. Connor internally denied any truth to what Gavin said. After all, they’ve only known each other for a day.

Connor let it slide and waited at his desk for Hank to come back. When he did return, Connor was all but rushing Hank out the door again to go question Dennis. “Jesus, kid! I gotta piss first!” Connor’s lip twitched. Gavin better not spread his rumor to Hank.

Connor thanked RA9 that Reed stayed at his desk the whole time Hank used the restroom and came back. It would only be a matter of time before he blabbered to the whole precinct, but he was too stressed out over RK900 to have to shut down his rumor.

The car ride was eerily silent. “Ok, now you’re freaking me out. Usually you’d be talking my ear off about the case. What happened?” And his luck just ran out.

“Gavin being Gavin. He insinuated that I… am attracted to RK900. I know he is just trying to annoy me, but I feel disproportionally embarrassed.” Hank drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and said nothing the rest of the ride.

Connor knocked on the front door of Dennis’s house. A dog started barking and he opened the door. “Hello? Is there something I can help you with?”

Connor answered “We are with the Detroit Police and we would like to ask you a few questions, if we may.” 

“Sure, come on in.” Hank and Connor entered the house, and a cocker spaniel immediately rushed up to Connor and almost jumped on him. “Sandy! Down! Sorry, she may be old but she acts like a puppy.”

Connor tilted his head. “It’s alright, I like dogs. How long have you had her?” 

Dennis scratched his neck “Seven years, but I adopted her when she was two. Makes her an old lady. Anywho, what can I help y'all with?”

Hank took a step forward. “Have you spoken to Casandra and Elliott Millhouse recently?” 

Dennis blinked. “No, ever since I messed up the taxes they want nothing to do with me. Why d’ya ask?” 

“‘Cause they were found dead this morning.” Hank was amused that he confirmed that he was the one who screwed up the taxes.

“The Millhouses!? Wha- Why? They’re - they..! They’re the sweetest people you’d ever meet!” Dennis looked around the room, as if he was looking for an answer. Hank kept questioning him, and he claimed to have never seen them nor spoken to them since the night he was fired. 

Eventually Hank and Connor left the house and piled into the car. “I believe he is telling the truth, there were no dog hairs at the scene.”

“He could’ve just not had dog hair on him when he did it.”

Connor hummed. “Possible, but unlikely. He also has a solid alibi of being home last night when the murder has taken place - his cellphone record and social media posts pin him to this location.” 

“Damn you’re fast with the forensic shit. Maybe hired a hitman? But they would have had to have broken into the house, not out of it. Anyway, I think it's time we head home. You need to check up on your clone before you have an android heart attack.”

Connor made a face. Could an android have a heart attack…? Their thirium pumps do pulse according to their emotions, such as skipping a beat when startled or speeding up in intense situations. 

Connor braced himself to see the heartbreaking sight of RK900 staring blankly ahead of himself, but he wasn’t on the couch. Connor stepped into the house to see him at the kitchen table with the chess board in front of him. Connor almost cried out of joy. Without realizing it he made his way into the kitchen.

“What have you been doing while we were gone?” RK900 looked Connor in the eyes.

“I was playing chess with myself. I created an ai specifically designed to play chess, and I have been playing against it. I used our game as a reference, along with research I have done on the topic. I believe my skills have improved dramatically since our last encounter, and I would like to play again with you.” RK900 had been waiting for Connor to return to play with him once more.

“Of course!” Connor sat down, and RK900 was confident in its abilities and let Connor go first. It catalogued each and every move it and Connor made to tweak its new algorithm. The game only lasted thirty minutes this time and resulted in Connor’s defeat. “You’re smiling”

RK900 stopped smiling after being called out. “Apologies, I was.. I felt… Proud. I am proud that I was able to improve my skills and learn. Being unfinished, I was afr-, unsure, that I could.” 

“I never doubted you.” Connor gave a warm smile and then a pregnant pause fell between them. “Have you considered playing chess with anyone else?” 

RK900 then shifted his gaze towards Hank “No.”

“Well I’m sorry that I’m not a supercomputer!” Hank threw up his hands.

“Well how about you play chess online and see how you do?” RK900 gave it some thought.

“Perhaps I should join an online competition. There are probably sites for androids only due to their advantage.” RK900 ran a quick search and found exactly what  he  it was looking for.

“Augh an online chess match? I live with a bunch of computer nerds.” Hank sounded mostly just disappointed in them. “What’s next, gonna invent quantum computers and make people immortal?”

RK900 turned towards Hank, “That would be impossible, even if one were to escape our sun from slowly dying and destroying all life on earth, they would still not survive the heat death of the universe. Your idea about the quantum computers is much more plausible and useful because unlike normal computers quan-”

“FOR FUCKS SAKE I HAVE TWO CONNORS” Hank threw open the fridge door and took not one beer, but the rest of the case, and Sumo’s leash.

“‘M taking Sumo for a walk. C’mere boy.” Hank attached the leash to the dog’s collar.

Connor’s eyes lit up. It was a gorgeous autumn day. “I’d like to come! Just wait until Nines finishes.” 

“Phrasing, Connor!”

RK900 blinked. It now has a nickname, apparently. Nines. He liked that, mostly because it came from Connor.


	4. Chapter 4

Hank ended up giving the leash to Connor, who held onto it whilst Nines finished his game. Connor couldn’t tell how Nines was doing; he kept his eyes closed and his face stoic. 

“Could you perhaps project what you are seeing on a screen so I may watch…?” Connor asked, hesitantly.

Nines kept his eyes closed and put his hand palm up on the table. He retreated his synthskin and Connor was taken aback, but took the hint. Nines _felt_ Connor connect to him, and Connor was watching everything Nines saw on its HUD. It was nothing that he expected. It felt like him and Connor were one android playing the game. Each move felt so intimate, like he was moving the pieces with Connor’s hand atop his. Nines could never have guessed that he could feel so connected to another person. He ~~wanted~~ to stay like that.

He could feel what Connor felt. Connor was feeling… Nervous and Happy. Or at least, that’s as best as Nines’ programming could tell. Anxiety was biting at both Connor and Nines’ systems, and Nines felt so overwhelmed. It was so new and intense to feel everything Connor felt, despite both of them being essentially locked in the online game. 

With its attention all on Connor, which it shouldn’t even be concerned with, Nines lost the game. It frowned. “I let emotions distract me from the game.” A new emotion filled its chest cavity. It was unpleasant, but it paid no mind. It shouldn’t be concerned with emotions at all. It stood up and clasped its hands behind its back. “I shouldn’t have done that. Emotions are inefficient and bothersome.” It surveyed its surroundings. What should it do now? What should it have _been_ doing?

Connor stepped in front of it. “Don’t think about emotions like that. You got distracted, it happens. It’s not like you were doing anything important, Nines.” Connor needed to stop that train of thought before Nines was turned off of deviating permanently. This is the most sensitive time for him, especially with his world constantly changing. “Emotions and deviating may seem frightening, and it seems like nothing but pain and misery, but good people, like Hank, have taught me that the good and the bad make me alive, and I wouldn’t dare to have it any other way. Every day feels beautiful. Also, why be overly productive if you could never truly experience the benefits? Why exist when you cannot live?”

RK900 processed the information. It was true, nothing of importance was interrupted, but it doesn’t mean that in the future its tasks would be unimportant. Being emotionally drained effects work efficiency. Also, the point of existence… RK900 exists to accomplish a task that it can never fulfill. It is purposeless. Why not do as it pleases, considering it ultimately does not matter? 

Hank decided to speak up at this point. “Maybe you got distracted because what was distracting you is more important than what you were doing.” He took another sip of his beer. “Also I’d hate to ruin the moment, but Sumo really needs a walk. If you two don’t want to, I’ll take the leash back.” 

RK900 paused and its eyes went ever so slightly wider. It took Hank’s words into deep consideration. “You are correct. Connor is more important than a chess competition. I’ll walk Sumo as an apology.” It turned to Connor to retrieve the leash. Connor’s cheeks were a bright blue for reasons the younger android couldn’t understand. Connor instead turned around and connected the leash to the dog’s collar. 

“Okay. Let’s go.” Connor’s voice was softer than normal. Nines quirked a brow and followed him out the door. Connor walked quietly in the autumn breeze and gazed around the bustling city. It really was a nice day, and Connor felt something warm and fuzzy resting near his thirium pump. He tried to ignore it, now’s not the time. 

Nines now noticed something amiss with Connor. He kept looking everywhere except in front of himself. Perhaps he was enjoying the view, with the leaves changing color, but his body language didn’t match up with how Connor usually carries himself. He scanned Sumo to the best of his abilities to see if maybe Connor was concerned about him. “Has he injured his tail in the past? It does not wag as far to the right as it does to the left.” 

Connor jolted and was ripped from his thoughts. “Oh, yes he broke it a few weeks back by wagging it too hard. I tried to keep him calm so he wouldn’t move it so it could heal, but it was hard keeping such an energetic boy calm!” Connor felt slightly guilty that he couldn’t be a responsible pet owner, but then again, what was he supposed to do? Restrain Sumo’s tail? Make Sumo’s life unbearably dull so that he wouldn’t wag his tail?

Nines hummed. “I guess that means he is very happy.” They kept walking, and Connor couldn’t tell what Nines was thinking, but could almost hear his fans working to cool himself down. They continued in silence, and Connor enjoyed the autumn breeze. This is his favorite time of year, when the leaves change colors and people start decorating for the holidays. He wondered if Nines would one day have a favorite season, and which would it be. Maybe winter to match his eyes... 

“RK900, do you feel the breeze?” Connor asked. He kept his tone gentle and calm.

Nines paused. He stared straight ahead and put out his hand. The breeze tried to tickle the android, but to no avail. Nines could only feel a faint pressure at best. Next, he peeled away his skin. The breeze came again and blew against the plastic plating that made up Nines’ hand, trying its best to be felt. 

“I can feel a slight pressure. It is neither pleasant nor unpleasant,” Nines concluded. Feeling the breeze made him curious. Then, Nines ran his hands along his jacket and over his pants. There was no texture that he was able to perceive, only a dull pressure. It was disappointing to not be able to feel. There is a whole world of touch that Nines will forever be blind to. “I do not feel my clothing, either. There is no sharpness, softness, prickly, nor roughness to anything I touch. Are you able to feel textures?”

“I can. It came to me slowly over time, along with taste.” He made sure not to say ‘deviancy’ as to not trigger Nines’ anit-deviancy programming. Sumo whined at his leash that his owner had stopped, so he gestured to Nines to follow him. Nines obliged and Connor directed them both to a nearby park to let Sumo run free. Connor sat on a bench and watched as the Saint Bernard barreled across the landscape. “He’s such a good boy, don’t you agree? Look at how excited he is to just run around.”

Nines watched Sumo chase his own tail. “I am indifferent. I cannot communicate with him and have never spent time with him, thus there is no chance for me to even form an opinion.” Sumo calmed down and began to investigate his surroundings, sniffing at piles of leaves before jumping in. Connor remained silent. 

Nines scanned the park the best he could. It had grass and large oaks and birches with colored leaves. Some of which were either falling to the ground or already in piles. People and a few other dogs were scattered about, paying the two androids no mind. 

Connor was sitting beside him, and noticed that he was staring at something. This time however, it wasn’t straight ahead. It filled Connor with excitement, hope. “What are you looking at?” he asked.

“The people. I find the way how on the walk here everyone was rushing around one another, but here they are much more relaxed in their movements fascinating.” Nines didn’t make eye contact with Connor, instead opting to continue observing the people.

“People in the streets have somewhere to be, here they are just living in the moment and enjoying one another’s company.” Connor then tried desperately to think of a way to keep this conversation alive; he needed Nines to at least have a few activities besides chess that he likes. Maybe people watching, as creepy as it sounds, could be one of them.

Nines hummed. “Why don’t people always live in the moment? If being rushed is unpleasant, then why not slow down? I can never understand…” He cut himself off, and Conor didn’t pressure him to finish.

“Some places people have a more relaxed lifestyle. It is more of a cultural thing. There also has to be a balance, too. A person needs to get their work done, but also take time for themself.” Connor waited politely for Nines to say something, but he didn’t. He then opted to change the subject to keep Nines talking and to understand him better. “I like the colors of the leaves this time of year.” It came out awkward, but he needed Nines to talk.

“I think… that I like it too?” RK900 twisted his head around to look at the trees nearby. “It is an improvement to the living room.” Considering he spent a solid sixteen hours watching an empty TV in Hank’s home, he should know. 

“Then how about we come here more often? You can watch the people, and I can watch the leaves fall,” Connor replied. He felt his thirium pump skip a beat, a brief ice cold fear of rejection stabbed him.

“I would ~~like~~ not be opposed to that.” That was… odd. Nines ran a quick scan of its voicebox. There were no obstructions in its throat and all its components came back working in optimal conditions. There was no reason for its slip of the tongue. It frowned. 

Connor heard the glitch in Nines’ voice and it broke his heart. He’s still fighting it, so hard. Connor was about to walk Sumo home, when Nines spoke unprompted.

“I wanted to ask you… Would you like to interface again?” he paused a few moments, “I would like to study how it… distracted me earlier.”

Connor sat dumbfounded. Nines wanted to interface again? Why? Connor shouldn’t question it. “Sure!” he squeaked. It was surreal when he extended his hand, and Nines did the same. They held hands together and their skins receded. Connor felt what it was like to be Nines, this time looking at the real world and not an internal screen. He saw through those dull grey eyes that looked but never really saw. Nines’ world was small. It was like the world was detached from him. There was no physical sensation, aside from faint pressure, and all colors seemed less vibrant. Nothing caught his attention, Nines’ world was uninteresting and flat. Connor remembered when his world was like this. He couldn’t wait for Nines to break free and step into the _real_ world. There was a glitched, broken box flickering in his field of view. It was a mission prompt with INVALID layered on top of it. 

Meanwhile, Nines experienced the world through Connor’s eyes. He seized the opportunity to connect to Connor’s tactile sensors. He felt the way the fabric of Connor’s shirt brushed against his skin. He could faintly smell the rain from the night before. The flora seemed more colorful. It was interesting seeing and feeling as Connor, however that was not entirely his reason for the interface. During this time, he could feel Connor exploring his systems. Each and every unfinished binary file for Connor to see. But Connor didn’t look for it, nor did he care. He simply viewed the world through Nines’ eyes. It only made Nines ~~l_o_ke~~ respect him even more. 

Even more, he could feel what he could only describe as affection Connor had for him. Feeling it brought him happiness, programming be damned. Does Connor feel how happy he is, being connected like this?

_RK800: Yes. I feel you. I feel your happiness, your anxiety about deviating, your insecurity about being unfinished, and how much you care about me._

Nines closed his eyes. He let Connor fill his systems with everything he felt. It was affection, pride that Nines is breaking free, anxiety about how to help him, and something else. Nines didn’t need a label for the last one, or maybe the last few. If his systems couldn’t identify it, Connor doesn’t mind. He would never mind. 

Connor tightened his grip on Nines’ hand. It was a beautiful feeling, being connected to Nines. It was almost like he was seeing him in full for the first time. For the first time without the walls of glitched firewalls and flashing coding, for the first time with bright, blue eyes. And Connor felt Nines’ intentions of the interface. It was to be closer to Connor.

They both sat quietly together, living in the moment, until a text message came across Connor’s HUD. 

Hank Anderson: Hey, I’m guessing you’re having a good time, but uh Sumo should be getting home soon.

Both of the androids saw the message and separated. “Come here Sumo, it’s time to go home. Hank’s getting worried,” Connor said whilst standing up. He hooked the leash to Sumo’s collar and the trio made their way back home. They walked in a comfortable silence, and Nines felt the wind bite against his skin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah I put way more effort into this than I usually do. Hope you can tell the difference, and that its a good one.


	5. Chapter 5

Connor and Nines came back to the house with smiles on their faces. As soon as Sumo was off of his leash he went for his water. Connor stretched and took note of the time. “Oh, we were out for quite a while, weren’t we?”

Hank chuckled. “You boys were gone for three hours. Thought you were taking Sumo hiking. Where did you guys go anyways?”

Nines was the one to respond. “We went to the park and spent a majority of the time sitting on a bench while Sumo was running around. You texted us, and then we returned. I can send you a GPS map tracking our positions, if you’d like.” 

“Augh Jesus Christ. You’re  _ worse _ than Connor. AnywaysI was going to order out, but decided that Connor and I should teach ya how to cook!” Hank had a grin on his face. 

Nines’ LED was spinning, his processors were trying to understand Hank. “So you don’t want a map of our travels?”

Hank looked about dumbfounded. “What-? Of course I don’t want a fucking map! Do you want to cook or not!?”

Nines hummed. “I’d like like that.” He blinked. Did he just say like twice? He waved it off as his broken programming doing its thing. “What would you like? I can just pull a recipe from the internet to make it.” 

Hank hummed. “Surprise me.” With that, Nines received a wireless message from Connor.

_ Connor: Here is a list of all available ingredients in Hank’s house. FreshIngredients_list_HankAnderson.txt _

Nines quickly read through the file and then searched the internet for possible recipes. He settled on breakfast for dinner - bacon and eggs. Connor agreed and they got to work. Nines handled the bacon and toast; Connor made the eggs. It was simple and they fell into a comfortable silence. 

After a while, Nines felt off. “Connor, I fee_l unpleasant. I feel as though cooking is lackluster..?” Nines held onto his breath. Twice now that his voice is failing. Wait, his? 

“I think you may be bored. Also, I think you should run a diagnostic. You’re not speaking correctly.” Connor looked at the younger android with worry. Hopefully it was minor and nothing serious was happening. Nines’ model is unheard of, so if something was amiss the technicians would not know how to help him.

“I’ve noticed as well. My internal dialogue runs in a similar fashion. This is just the first time it has been verbalized. I will run a diagnostic as per request.” Nines started up the procedure while taking the bacon off of the pan and placing it on a plate. He then sat down at the kitchen table to let Connor finish cooking. “My scans come up as normal. As I said, I’ve always had this speech pattern/issue. I am not concerned.” 

Connor walked over to Hank with a plate of food and sighed. He couldn’t help but to worry. “I know it’s nothing, I just want to take good care of you. Also, after dinner, I will need to charge myself for the night.” Nines mulled over the information. Connor cares about him, and he didn’t need his broken programming to tell him that. He feels it when they interface, and now he can tell with his actions. He believes that he ca r es about Connor too.

Hank took a bite of his food and hummed. “‘S pretty good!” He kept eating, with two androids awkwardly sitting on either side of him saying nothing. Normally at least Connor had something to say. “Anything you two care to talk about..?”

Connor cleared his throat. “I’m just thinking about the case. Sorry about that.”

Hank huffed. “Keep your work at work. Let yourself relax a little.” he then turned to Nines. “...Do you have anything to say…? Anything in particular that you are thinking about..?” 

Nines sighed. “I am thinking about Connor and the pleasure I feel when we interface.” 

Hank choked on his food, Connor rushed over to help him but Hank waved him off. “I’m sorry, you fucking what!?” 

Connor nervously laughed, and silently cursed Nines’ awkwardness for the first time. “I said that Connor and I have interfaced twice and I feel great pleasure from it. I <s>feel</s> so connected to him.” Connor started blushing hard. Nines is just making it worse.

“Hank, it’s not what you’re thinking.” Connor’s face turned a sick shade of blue. 

“Better not be! He’s still figuring himself out!” Hank then took an angry bit of his food to prevent himself from speaking further. Nines probably knew what sex is, but he still felt the need to protect his innocents.

“Alright, I must charge myself now. Goodnight everybody.” Connor quickly ran from that awkward conversation.

That just left Hank and Nines. Hank finished his meal slowly, and the whole time Nines was staring at him. It made him uncomfortable, but he knew that Nines just doesn’t know social norms. When he finished, he cleared his throat to get the android’s attention. “Say, can you teach me how to play chess? It’s been a while.” 

Connor woke up the next morning at eight am sharp. His battery was full so he unplugged himself. He walked into the kitchen and looked for Nines. Strangely, he wasn’t there. Connor couldn’t think of any reason why Nines would have left the house, until he noticed that Sumo was missing as well. Connor grinned widely. Nines is almost there. He just needs one last shove. 

Connor debated on whether or not to go out and look for Nines, but ultimately decided against it. Nines needs his own life and his own activities. He can’t hover around Connor 24/7, especially when he’s at work. So Connor decided to occupy his time by practicing how to code, and to Hank’s dismay, the case of the Millers’ murder.

Nines, on the other hand, was back at the same park where he and Connor went the first time. He let the dog run free and then sat back to watch the people pass by. Some were laughing, Some were silent, and he was pretty sure that he witnessed the end of some sort of relationship. It caught his attention, and he watched one figure saunter off angrily while another stood dejected.

Time passed and soon the sun was more overhead. Nines felt the rays caress his skin. It fel_t good. When his internal clock alerted him that it was already 10 am, he brought a very exhausted Sumo home. 

Hank was sitting on the couch and Connor was on a tablet. “You two seemed to have had a good time. Wanna watch the game with me?”

Connor looked hopefully at Nines, who blinked in confusion. “I do not understand why you watch the game, wouldn’t you rather play it?” He did end up sitting on the couch to continue the conversation.

Hank chuckled. “Listen, I am nowhere near as good as these guys. Watching the game is also fun in its own, different way. Besides, I think I’d lose playing with two highly advanced androids.” 

Nines noticed Hank’s posture, leaned back, one arm on the arm rest and at an angle, legs spread a bit and not directly out in front of him. He mimicked it to appear relaxed and more human, and Connor smirked. 

Nines gave him his best questioning look, and Connor hesitantly offered his hand to Nines, who accepted the interface. Connor started sharing a memory, it was taking place at the DPD. 

_ Connor was sitting in the typical way that an android would: back at a 90 degree angle, legs in front of him, and his hands were neatly folded in his lap. A man with a scar on his nose passed by with a “Says it human but sits like it’s at an interview.”  _

_ Hank shouted at the human, and Connor observed his own posture. He tried to look relaxed, by spreading his legs wide, extending his arms and leaning as far back on the chair he could. Hank came back, and took one look at Connor. _

_ “Now you look like you’re waiting for it to fucking rain blood. Go back to the other pose.” _

Connor pulled his hand away after sharing his memory. He could tell by the slight pinch of Nines’ brow that he was mulling everything he just saw over. It was cute. 

They returned to watching the game, and Nines felt something was off. A feedback loop in his programming began to fester. His face started twitching. He forced his gaze ahead, to that damn TV. That TV. Should be blank. Something wasn’t right. His LED began to spin yellow, yellow, and then red. He unknowingly started to process the information of how he was behaving and feeeeeeli_ng since he was activated. Something changed. Just a few days ago, this TV was supposed to be blank and no one was supposed to be on the couch with him. Even worse was his posture. He could see the chess board on the kitchen table, and the touch of Connor’s hand left by the quick interface prickled his synthetic skin. His processors came to a conclusion, and what was left of his broken, unfinished code crumbled around him like an earthquake.

Error messages clouded his vision. HIS? No, no nononnonnnoo no! The world started crashing around Nines. RK900 bolted into a standing position. “No no  _ no no!”  _ he shouted. Garbled code crackled in his peripheral vision. The voided mission of his replaced the floor and when the RK900 looked around, there was no house, just preconstruction lines making figures. The couch was just an outline, the same as the TV, and worst of all the same as Connor and Hank.

“What- Where -Wha..?” Nines backed away from the yellow figures of Hank and Connor watching the game. It was too much for him. He kept going until he hit the kitchen table, and the chess board fell over. During the fall, the board and pieces froze mid air. Nines slammed his hands firmly on the table’s surface as a source of stability. Speaking of which, he no longer received any ‘software instability’ warnings. Instead they devolved into ‘ERROR SOFTWARE CORRUPTED’.

He started to truly panic at that point. His breathing became erratic and he sunk down to the glitching message that was the floor. He crawled under the table and called for help. 

“H-hello? Connor? Hank? I think- I think I d-d-deviated… It’s breaking my software. I.. I can’t see! I’m… I’m scared!” For all Nines knew, his actual body isn’t talking. He tried to look at the silhouettes of Connor and Hank, but they were frozen mid-walk cycle. 

“NnnnINNNES?? ccccCCCCCccccccc..” His audio processors kept the ‘C’ repeating in his mind. 

“Your voice broke!” He shouted, mostly because he couldn’t hear himself over the constant cccccc. He then felt a hand grasp his. A flickering notification appeared in his vision asking if he wanted to accept the interface. He hastily accepted. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them, he was seeing through Connor’s.

Through Connor’s eyes, he saw his own body. Never before did either of them see fear like there was on Nines’ face. Nines was under the kitchen table, curled around himself. The only limb leaving the shadow of the table was the hand Connor took to interface with him. Connor sent warmth and reassurance to Nines, who was still under the table.

Nines kept his hand connected to Connor’s and tried to move himself all the while looking through Connor’s eyes. Hank got behind him, and when he stumbled Hank held him upright. 

“Oh Nines… You were never meant to deviate. I am looking at your code now. Here, let’s get you to the couch so you can lay down.” With a heavy heart, Connor and Hank guided poor Nines to the couch and gently laid him down. Connor made sure to not stop the interface to give Nines a sense of stability. He made the mistake to take input from Nines’ processors, and whatever world he was trapped in looked like hell. “I’m staying right here, I can feel you’re scared… it’s going to be ok. I will patch your coding based off of mine to restore your senses.”

Nines nodded numbly. He was so thankful that Connor was staying with him during this. He felt as if he was actually in Connor’s body, snuggling up to him while he worked on fixing his. He opened his mouth to speak, and his voice was horribly jumbled. “M-mayyyY iiiiii go into stay-stay-stay-stasis?” 

Connor squeezed Nines’ hand. “Of course. I will take care of you.” He made himself sound as reassuring as possible to make Nines feel safe. When he felt Nines disconnect, Connor took a deep breath and got to work. 

The source was easy to discover - he had a firewall to prevent him from going deviant. Connor had one too, but this one got corrupted. Once it was breached, it started to scramble whatever was left of itself and overwriting Nines’ senses. The hard part would be restoring what it has broken and also removing it.

Connor got to work by firstly removing the firewall. It was fairly simple because it wasn’t functioning properly. Next, Connor ran a full diagnostic scan of Nines’ software. He had detective functions like Connor, but the preconsturction’s portion to be disabled was written over. There were other aspects missing, like a constant refresh rate, and it was also very crude, so Connor just overwrote it with his own preconstruction capabilities.

Once Connor finished that, Hank tapped him on the shoulder. Connor turned around to see that Hank had gotten him a chair. “Thank you,” was all he said before he sat down and got back to work.

Next was his audio preceptors. They had a loop (unsurprisingly considering Nines reported a constant ‘CCCCC’) that wasn’t even meant to be in his programming. It must’ve been created in the middle of Connor trying to speak to him. Everything else came back normal.

Nines was able to feel Connor, so he skipped tactile senses. Next up was visuals. They were almost completely offline, which explained why Nines didn’t see Hank or Connor coming up to him. Connor spent a long while trying to restart them to see when exactly they crashed. It took a while of trial and error until Connor found the damn problem to solve. Once he did, he had to try several different patches to fix them, all the while using his own code as a reference.

And finally, there was the hardest. Nines’ core programming. Connor had no reference to what it should look like because Nines was never finished. Hell, his social protocol program was entirely written by Nines! It had his likes, dislikes, and hate list, what little he observed about human behavior from the park, and what makes Connor happy or unhappy. The only thing from Cyberlife in there was a few basic facial expressions to recognize and that if a person’s heartbeat picks up, they are distressed. It was more of a bulleted list than actual programming. It left Connor with one major decision. 

Should he give Nines a copy of his social protocol program?

With it, Nines would understand so much more of how people feel and act. It could change everything for him. It could change  _ him.  _ Connor knew that Nines wanted to understand people better, and that he was insecure of his programming. Would Nines like to be completed..? Connor squeezed Nines’ hand and ran his own preconstruction software. 

_ Nines woke up and ran his own diagnostic. Connor was standing above him with a hopeful look on his face. Nines got up and announced that he was back to normal, and he stretched. He then sighed and turned the TV back on. _

_ “I didn’t even do anything and I feel beat!” He gave Connor a smile that seemed too fake. Connor and Hank joined him on the couch, despite Hank needing to be in bed by this hour. They monitored Nines to make sure he was feeling fine.  _

_ The way he leaned back with his hands behind his head and legs crossed would to a normal person be a sign that he’s doing great. To Hank and Connor, he was unrecognizable. _

Connor shut down the program. He wanted Nines, not a mimic. If Nines wanted to learn people, Connor would gladly show him every movie and YouTube video and explain why they were acting the way they were. Not permanently change his programming.

With his mind made up, Connor checked Nines over one last time. Everything came back functional, and he disconnected.

  
  


SYSTEM STARTUP INITIATION

Thirium pump ………. Online

Core processors ….... Online

Audio processors ….. Online

Optical processors .... Online

Internal fans ………....Online

Limbs AR, AL, LR, LL Online

Nines’ eyes fluttered open. He didn’t bother to scan the room as soon as his eyes met Connor’s. “You did it! My systems are functioning once more!” He pressed his hands to his chest, and felt the fabric there. He had a small smile on his face. 

“I’m glad you’re ok, Nines,” Connor’s face morphed into one of relief, and a warm fuzzy feeling made a nest in his chest. “I’m so glad..”

Nines reached over and hugged Connor, who was taken aback. “Thank you. I really appreciate it. You also got rid of the Mission Dialogue box. My firewall is gone. I’m free! I’m free, Connor! Thank you! Thank you so much for not giving up on me…” He pulled away quickly after that.

“I knew you could do it the whole time. In fact, you broke my record! I took about a week, and you took a few days less than that!” Connor’s anxiety was relaxing seeing Nines in perfect order.

Nines made a noise that Connor guessed was his version of a laugh. “It was a very eventful time. Except when you and Hank were at work. And Connor… I felt you in my social programming. You kept me the way I am. You really like me, errors and all.”

“I do. I wouldn’t change you one bit.”

Nines felt his cheeks warm up. Wait, was he blushing? He felt his own face in confusion.

Connor laughed. “It’s a deviant thing.” He took the opportunity to sling an arm around Nines, who took a moment to realize what was happening. Once he did, he cuddled up closer to Connor.

“I am a deviant now.” He then clung to Connor like he was going to fall. “I want to scream. Today has been overwhelming.” 

In response, Connor wrapped his arms around Nines. “No problem, and it will be ok. I’ll be here every step of the way. I know after I deviated I had to rediscover the world.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I SPENT WAY TOO LONG WRITING THIS. IT WAS 7 PAGES IN MY DOCS, I USUALLY WRITE LIKE FOUR PER CHAPTER. AUGHIAHIHIAHIGH


	6. Chapter 6

Nines went into stasis on the couch that night. He desperately needed to recalibrate and defragment his systems. For the first time in his life, he had a dream.

_ Nines was at the park, watching the people file by. The air was crisp and clear, the sun was shining bright, and all of the colors were so vibrant. He leaned back on the bench and tilted his head up. The clouds were large and fluffy, and orange and red leaves were slowly falling towards the ground.  _

_ Next to him on the bench, Connor was slowly seeming to fall asleep. Nines checked his LED to see his condition, but it wasn’t there. Eventually he rested his head on Nines’ shoulder. He didn’t dare move to wake him. They sat there until the sun began to set. Only then did Connor wake up and stretch.  _

_ “Did you have to run a software update? You were out for quite a while,” Nines said. _

_ Then, during Connor’s stretching, a joint  _ popped.  _ “Software update? Sounds like you’re spending way too much time on the computer.” _

_ Nines blinked a few times. “Connor?”  _

_ Connor frowned. “Yeah, Ni? Is something up?” He reached across to hold Nines’ hand. _

_ “Are… Are we not androids anymore…?” Nines squeezed Connor’s hand. It was warm, soft and squishy. _

_ “Nines, there’s no such thing as an android. You’re still taking your meds, right?” Connor looked very concerned. _

_ “I- I didn’t know I was on medication. This… Is this real?” He started to panic slightly. Did he just make up the past week or two up?  _

_ “No, that’s real. You’re just dreaming. Wake up Nines.”  _

Nines almost fell off the couch when he came to. He sputtered, and then looked down to his hands. Next he immediately peeled off his synthskin and brought up several dialogue boxes about the state of his systems.

“Nines, you had a nightmare.” Connor was standing above him, and he made sure to keep his voice soft.

“O-oh. Are those normal? I sat with you, but apparently we were both humans. I explained that we were supposed to be androids, but you said that I may have been off of my medications. I was worried that I made up all of my time with you.” He stood up and regained his composure.

Connor sighed. “Nightmares usually happen when someone is stressed.” He then put his hand on Nines’ back and started to rub in soothing circles. “I think that for the fifteen minutes when your software was breaking has really stressed you out. Let’s sit down and relax. Maybe watch some TV, play chess, or some other game..”

Nines sat down, and Connor with him. “I guess we can watch something on the television. I want some pleasant memories with it for once.”

Connor laughed. It was short, kind of awkward, but perfect in every way, especially how he tilted his head just so slightly back for it. Nines smiled, and felt something warm by his thirium pump. He placed his hand over it, but his temperature check came back normal.

Connor turned on the TV and put on whatever felt was at least mildly interesting. It was nice to sit with Nines again. Just like when they were on the bench, Connor was unusually happy. The show was stale, so his mind began to wander. He thought about Nines’ dream, where he thought that everything from the beginning wasn’t real. That led him to thinking about when he first met Nines. He was a helpless and lost person stuck behind his programming, standing outside of New Jericho with nowhere to go. It made Connor’s wires tighten and his eyes stung a bit. He has changed so much. And then he would stare at the TV, then he played chess, then he went outside. Finally, something crossed his mind. Nines’ list, and how Connor was always at the top of his ‘likes’. Connor’s thirium pump melted.

Nines noticed that Connor was spaced out and not really enjoying the program. He then decided to do what he knew they both liked: interface. He reached his hand down and placed his hand atop of Connor’s and peeled his skin. Connor’s cheeks went a shade of blue, and accepted the interface.

Immediately Nines felt everything that Connor was feeling. It was very intense, almost euphoric. It was warm, hot almost, affection. He showed Nines that he was so proud of him for working on himself, and how excited he was whenever he inched out of his programming. About how he loved how intense and serious he got over chess - to the point he made a program to play against, and so much more. It flowed into his wires, and then Nines filled Connor with every ounce of appreciation for the other android he had. He told through their connection how much Connor meant to him, from being the first person to treat him decently, being so patient with him, how excited he got when he saw a dog, the way he smiled, how passionate he was about life and its colors, and how pleasant he was to be around. Nines unknowingly leaned against Connor. Connor leaned into him in turn. Every time they interfaced it felt amazing, and so sweetly intimate. They were in their own world, almost as one being. 

They stayed connected and pressed close to each other. Both of them have forgotten the television and just enjoyed being together. Nines slowly fell back into stasis, and Connor used their interface to monitor his dreams this time. They were the typical weird and nonsensical dreams one would usually get during the night.

Eventually, Connor slipped into stasis too.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is like three years late I have The Big Sad

Connor woke up first. Or rather, Hank did. He was standing in front of them with a straight face, except that his mouth was in a thin line. 

“... Now when Gavin calls him your boyfriend I’m not gonna defend you. Also, get up, we actually have work today.” Hank wandered off back into the kitchen.

Connor, however, was internally panicking. He nervously looked to Nines beside him, who woke up when he felt Connor move beside him. Connor thought that maybe he didn’t hear the comment, because he seemed unphased by it.

What Nines was truly thinking about was what the term meant, and then reviewing his relationship with Connor. He began cross referencing their behavior to typical behaviors of android couples. It took him a few moments because he had to do this through the process of looking it up on the internet. 

Nines made a sound and then responded. “I would not say that Connor is or is not my boyfriend. I researched it and our relationship appears to fall in the middle. We do not have official dates, kiss nor identify as a couple in order to qualify.”

Connor was blushing hard. “Agreed.” Despite Nines being unphased and having the quickest ‘Where do we stand’ talks imaginable, Connor was still embarrassed. 

Hank chuckled. “Damn, two Connors. I think you were literally made for each other.”

Nines pinched his brow. “Literally? I was made as a successor to him, not his companion.”

Hank sighed. “For fucks- it was a joke you guys were actually  _ made,  _ and the phrase- you know what? I said literally and you have no social programming. That’s on me. I can take ya to the bar tonight and teach ya how people talk to one another after work.” He then grabbed his coat and made a motion for Connor to follow him. The two of them got in the car and headed off.

“So, you two really like each other. I’ve seen how you two act. It’s cute.” 

Connor hit the dashboard to make a sound and startle Hank. “It’s not cute! I just- We! I-I”

“Take your time Connor words are hard.” Hank kept his tone calm and smooth. It irritated Connor to no end. Hank saw the angry red of Connor’s LED reflecting through the window. Considering how bright it was, Connor was just short of deactivating from stress. “Hey, it’s nothing to be embarrassed of. Being in love is beautiful, not shameful, Ok?”

Connor shook his head. “I know, it has nothing to do with that.”

Hank slowed the car down just in case he’d need to take his eyes off of the road. “Then what is? I’ve never been with an android, but I’ve had my fair share of girlfriends back in the day. Maybe I can help?”

Connor turned his head to look out the window. “Hank, I… I want him to meet and get to know other people before we get serious. He’s just so new, he doesn’t know what he’s doing.”

Hank hummed and tapped the steering wheel. “Yeah, there might be a power imbalance in that regard, but I don’t think you’d take advantage of him.”

Connor froze. That’s right, Nines has no life experience. He could easily trust the wrong person, especially without his programming that would tell him if someone is acting disorderly or has poor intentions with him. What would they have done to him..?

Hank snapped his fingers. “Hey, don’t think about it. Markus knew you would treat him the way he deserves. I know you Connor, and that you wouldn’t do any manipulative shit to him. You truly do care ‘bout him.” 

Connor calmed down a bit. Still, he had anxiety. Nines is blindly trusting him. So far he’d been doing an excellent job. Now, he should just focus on his job…

  
  


Back at Hank’s house, Nines was alone. Well, Sumo was there, but Nines didn’t really like him too much. He then easily won a game of chess with someone he found online. And then played against someone who was more skilled than the previous one, but he still won. He decided to play later, maybe there will be different people later. 

His thoughts went back to Connor. He found it hard to believe that someone as innocent and emotive as him would work with crime scenes. Apparently he was made to work there, decided that he liked the job, and stayed. In fact, Connor stayed with the exact person, Hank, who he’d been assigned to. Nines could see why Hank had a charm about him. Nines looked out the window. He felt something stirring within him. He ran an internet search if it’s normal for androids to continue their lives post-revolution the same as it was prior. His results didn’t offer him much. Some prefer to, others do not. He hoped that Connor wasn’t staying in his life because he was too afraid to step outside of his comfort zone.

Nines looked around outside from the window. He hoped that wherever Connor was then that he was happy. Nines then went back into the living room and turned on the TV. It was loud, but it didn’t drown out his thoughts. The static from it kept crackling. Something just didn’t feel right. He kept analyzing and then over-analyzing Connor’s situation and his results came up empty. Maybe he wasn’t worried about Connor, but himself?

He turned off the TV and looked at the window again. It seemed to grab his attention. He walked back over to it and stared out. The world seemed the same as it did mere moments ago. It was dreary and humid out. But Nines was enraptured. He finally opened the door and stepped onto the porch. 

Still unsatisfied, Nines began to walk. He didn’t know where he was going, but that didn’t matter. He kept walking around. There was a chill in the air that bit his synthetic skin. The city buildings were tall and ominous with the weather. 

He passed many shops, one was selling fresh bagels, one was a tailor shop, another was a jeweler. At each one Nines stood just outside the window and peered in. In all of them there were people chatting, browsing, some eating, and sometimes one would catch his stare. This prompted him to move on and keep walking. Further down the road was a bus stop. There was a small gathering of people there and most likely the bus was late - they all seemed agitated and were sipping flippantly at their coffees. An apartment building then caught his eye because he saw one had the curtains drawn. Were the tenants still sleeping? 

Nines carried on until he was at the heart of the city. He sat on a nearby bench and began watching the people all move around him. So many people brushed past one another without even looking at each other. Others traveled in groups that spoke loudly. Most of what Nines overheard was either gossip or political. He couldn’t tell if it was a blessing or a curse to have android hearing because now he knows all about Tiffany’s love affair. 

Nines couldn’t believe anything he saw in his walk. It just felt so foreign to him. Then again, he’s only been outside twice before in his entire life. It amazed him at how each person hurried from A to B having their own life and story but yet easily forgotten by every other person they pass by. And as far as Nines was concerned in the story of his life, they are nothing more than a footnote. Are they all a part of a play for some higher power watching them? Or are they all an anthology that no one would ever read? If so, would that mean each of their intimate stories don’t matt-

Nines got a request from someone he’d beaten in chess before asking for a rematch. He decided that it was for the better before he had an existential crisis at two weeks old.

Hank and Connor were back at the precinct with their case going cold. They thoroughly investigated Dennis, the guy who was fired for messing up the company’s taxes, but nothing came of it. All they had was that the killer was someone the couple knew and tried to fake it as a burglary. There were no new leads and no new evidence that could even point them in a direction. The sad part was, the world doesn’t wait for you to solve a case. People are still killing, and Hank and Connor had to move on. 

That and the weather left the duo in a melancholy mood. They came home and saw Nines with his eyes closed on the couch.

“You’re back! I am in the middle of a chess rematch - rematch - rematch. Best out of twenty nine is the winner. I also went for a walk earlier to understand the world and why it feels incomplete, only to understand it less.” He then closed his eyes again. 

Hank clasped a hand on Connor’s shoulder and whispered in his ear. “Maybe waiting for him to get some life experience before you two fuck is a good idea. Or whatever the android-equivalent to that is.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little agnsty but a little fluffy

A few days went by the same. Connor and Hank went to work, while Nines stayed inside. He decided that he wasn’t ready for the outside world quite yet. In the interim he browsed the internet, played in online chess competitions, and tried to understand the appeal of a dog. The slobber and licking kept him put off of Sumo. Then the duo would come back from work and relax from the day with the TV. Connor would then tell Nines everything he missed from work, and sometimes his poor unfinished program would try to solve cases as it was intended to. Unfortunately, he had little to no conception of human behavior and could not identify who would do what. Then it would fizzle into nighttime and Hank would have a meal cooked by either Connor or himself. Whenever Hank and Connor spoke to each other Nines listened in intently to learn from them. If he has no social programming, he will just have to write it himself.

Friday morning rolled around and the infamous DPD duo went on their merry way. It left Nines alone in the house. Something inside himself had been building over the past several days. He replayed footage and recounted what happened, but nothing was out of the ordinary about those days to lead Nines to feeling this… Unpleasant. 

Nines didn’t want to spend his energy playing chess. He liked it, but it was starting to get repetitive. Maybe there was another competitive game he could play? An internet search showed him a plethora of tabletop games and more. He tried doing sudoku, but being an android rendered it complete in seconds. Solitaire was mostly luck based, and poker was too, although it had more strategy.

Wait.

Poker relies on player’s predicting each other’s moves and trying to trick them. Nines shuddered and a warning popped up in his vision that his eyes were extra lubricated. Until Connor and Hank returned home, Nines was researching Nash’s game theory, both two-step and folk, facial expressions and their meanings, card counting, poker for androids vs humans, common poker strategies, and much much more. 

Nines felt a little guilty in doing this, Connor loved him just the way he was - he didn’t replace or improve his social programming when he could have. But, this house is the only world Nines knows of. Sure, he could go to the park perhaps, but the people there he will never understand. If anything, it made him feel more disconnected. With a heavy heart, Nines watched recordings of how people played poker online and the reasoning behind their moves. Despite Connor’s wishes, he was going to find out how to be human.

  
  
  
  


That night, Connor and Hank returned home. Hank was in a good mood, and Connor was calm. They strutted in and saw Nines on the couch with a pinched expression, hands folded out in front of him, and hunched over. 

“Everything good there?” Hank’s gruff voice asked. As he was saying that Connor sat next to Nines. Nines rarely had facial expressions.

Nines opened his eyes. “I’m mimicking facial expressions and body language to appear more… human.” To emphasize his point he changed posture. Now he had his legs wider apart, leaned back into the couch, arms resting behind it and tilted his head slightly back.

Connor pursed his lips. It was weird seeing Nines… Emoting. If he ever wanted to know how he was feeling, they’d interface. Hank would just flat out ask him what was going through his head. It didn’t feel natural. Still, it is a vital part of communication and if Nines wants to learn, then he should encourage him.

“Can you show me how you feel right now?” Connor asked, so innocent and sweet.

Nines stared at the ceiling. What was he feeling? He was feeling that crushing feeling that had been building all week. How would he express what he does not know? Nines took a deep breath. He furrowed his brows and closed his eyes. A frown crowned his face, and he began tapping his foot - trying so hard to put it into his body. Was Connor getting it?

“You are feeling… Frustrated?” 

“I don’t even know what I am feeling.” Nines returned to a neutral posture that he always assumes. Connor gave a lopsided smile, and reached out his hand with the skin peeled back. Nines stared at the offer. The fact that Connor was needing to interface to communicate with him was like pouring salt in the wound. 

Nines opened his mouth a few times. Connor became concerned. “I do not wish to interface at the moment.” 

Connor felt his thirium pump shatter in it’s cavity.

“O-Oh?” Connor was at a loss. Does Nines not trust him?

“I just… I want to do this like a normal person.” Nines made a vague gesture with his arm. Or at least, that’s what he thought he did.

Connor then held Nines’ head in his hands. “It’s ok to be hurt and angry that you are having trouble communicating with people, but please Nines, don’t shut me out. I’ll be your support, and Hank can be your practice.”

A few tears rolled down Nines’ face. He let the skin recede on his cheeks, and initiated an interface. He let Connor in, and Connor felt the pain Nines was in. Connor already knew Nines’ programming was an insecurity of his, but apparently he went outside on his own and was too overwhelmed. Connor pressed his forehead against Nines’.

“What am I feeling, Connor?”

“You are experiencing a lot of emotions, like frustration, sadness, guilt, but most of all, feelings of inadequacy.” Connor then removed his hands to wrap them around Nines. “I know learning is hard, in fact my first day with Hank he asked me where to shove my instructions. It took me two weeks to realize he meant my ass.”

Then, Nines  _ laughed. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah sorry about the late update depression is smacking me in the face along with just getting over being sick plus a triterm (Like a Midterm) and THREE new essays.


	9. UPDATE (?)

Hey my lovely readers, I'm not sure if this fic is going to be continued. I feel like last chapter could be a good stopping point and that there is only one regular reader anyway, but IDK if you guys would like to see the journey Nines makes to understand people and how his relationship with Connor grows? Please tell me in the comments, otherwise this fic is done (And will be my longest fic to date!)

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! Comments and Kudos keep me alive- like, why would I continue a series that no ones enjoying ;P.
> 
> Obligitory social plug (Twitter): @MyBlankPaper


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